Why is Work Experience Important?

You might think that the only point of doing work experience is for CV fodder. You probably think you’ll just sit there twiddling your thumbs, or be given a stack of 2,000 envelopes to stuff, stamp and send. Although some work experience does involve doing menial tasks, it can still be very important.

Some work experience placements might even give you the opportunity to take on some really interesting and challenging responsibilities. However, if you still need convincing, we present to you our top ten reasons why you should do work experience:

ONE…

In at number one: young people are more likely to be successful in their job hunt if they have done some good work experience. Fact.

Want some evidence? Well, over half of the graduate recruiters that took part in a recent research study by Highfliers said that, "graduates who have had no previous work experience at all are unlikely to be successful during the selection process and have little or no chance of receiving a job offer for their organisations’ graduate programmes."

TWO…

If you haven’t got a clue what career you want to do, work experience is a perfect way to sample all the career options out there. It’s a way of exploring different jobs without actually committing to anything. You can dip your toe in the water without taking the full plunge.

THREE…

It’s the best way to get a real sense of your chosen industry. You’ll get to speak to employees and ask them questions. You won’t know what it’s like until you get closer to the action.

FOUR…

Doing work experience shows passion and interest. Evidence that you have done work experience shows the employer that you are motivated to get into a chosen career and that you’ve done your homework.

FIVE…

If you’re floundering about and frankly aren’t that bothered about your career, work experience might just be the kick up the backside you need. If you do a variety of different work placements, you might find something you are passionate about and get motivated.

SIX…

Work experience gently introduces you to the world of work. You get to learn the do’s and don’ts, get work place savvy and learn to navigate your way through the jungle of office politics. Vitally, it’ll give you an idea of the skills you might need to thrive in the workplace.

SEVEN…

It’ll help you identify your own skills and perhaps even highlight the areas that you might want to work on. Ok, so we’re not going to go all ‘Gap Yaaah’ on you and tell you how it’ll totally “change your world view, man”, but it’ll definitely give you a good understanding of your strengths and weakness.

EIGHT…

You might wow them so much that you’ll manage to wrangle yourself a job!

NINE…

It’s all about networking, darling. It’ll help you build up contacts and, you never know, they might even give you a heads up about a future job or recommend you to another company.